“I got these in prison,” 2012
(Click on images to see larger)
In my limited experience trying to become better at
photographing people, I’ve learned that the easiest people to photograph are
people with tattoos. Really, they’re the photographic version of shooting fish
in a barrel,
People with lots of tattoos may look mean. But relatively speaking they're easy to approach. They’re not
reticent. They want to make a statement. They’re flattered if you ask to photograph them and will go out of
their way to show you their best sides.
Case in point: When I approached the young man shown above
all I could see was the trail of tattoos down his arm. Before I even got close I'd already worked out the framing of the arm and the t-shirt. When I asked if I could
photograph him, though, he immediately pulled the t-shirt off so that I could see the
full inked tableau.
“I got these in prison,” he proclaimed proudly.
I didn’t get the story of his friend, below. He was just pissed
that I hadn’t asked to photograph him first. So you can be sure I didn’t miss
him before I moved on. I didn’t even have to ask. He just thrust his hands out
and turned them over for me to see.
Good as a Dollar Bill, 2012
Posts
Haaa--isn't that funny. They really are a badge of pride, aren't they! Great shots. I love that he just out and admitted he got those in prison.
ReplyDeletedid he, or didn't he? who knows!
ReplyDeleteBut he's proud !
Aren't day proud? Yes they are. Tattoos are also a form of art. They do have the right to boast. Its a painful and hard process just to be able to make that masterpiece.
ReplyDeletemotorcycle finance